My Favorite Spots In Charleston, SC – A Food Guide

A few months ago my sister and I took our first real sister’s trip to Charleston, South Carolina and I finally put together my food guide!

If you know anything about me you know how much I enjoy exploring new cities. Going to Charleston with my sister had been a dream for a while, and finally doing it left us nothing but impressed.

Charleston is the cutest little city. We spent 5 days there and left on the morning of the 6. We stopped in DC on the way there overnight and did the same on the way back because the drive is a little too far from Massachusetts to do in one day. Plus any reason to stop in DC is a good reason for me.

My Charleston, SC Food Guide

Cafes + Breakfast Spots

Second State Coffee (Previously Black Tap Coffee)

We were huge fans of this little cafe! We stopped here a few times throughout the week for a coffee or a tea and even spent some time resting in the cafe.

second state coffee

The staff was extremely sweet and were great at suggesting beverages to try out. There is a good amount of seating for such a small cafe, but we mostly took ours to go!

Just like every other cafe in Charleston, there are so many cute buildings to take pictures of or in front of. We loved a pink one that was right next door to the cafe.

Abby loved their tea!

If I had to recommend one drink it would be the iced lavender latte. It’s perfect for a hot day, but I bet it’s great on cold days too.

The Daily

This was my favorite spot in all of Charleston for a few different reasons. For one, they have phenomenal food with a focus on nutritional things. Another, they don’t have wifi. AKA no laptops crowding tables, and for the most part people weren’t hunched over their phones.

I’m a huge fan of working in cafes but for once it was nice to not be able to whip out my laptop for a quick article over breakfast.

avocado and toast + brekkie tacos

The food here was delicious. We tried a few different things but my favorite was their breakfast tacos. Inside the crispy corn tortillas, there was scrambled egg and chorizo, one of my all-time favorite combinations.

brekkie tacos

Abby has some pretty bland taste buds and ordered avocado and toast – no, not avocado toast, each time we went.

She loved the bread – said it was one of the best kinds she has ever had. So if you’re not on here for the gluten-free recipes, then try out the bread when you go!

toast with avocado on the side because my sister is weird

Vintage Coffee Cafe

This place was interesting. Fun fact about me: I say interesting a lot. It either means a) I’m still processing my thoughts about something b) I actually think something is interesting or c) I’m trying to be nice about something that I didn’t like/agree with.

This usage was definitely in category c.

Unfortunately, Vintage Coffee Cafe was not a hit for us.

brekkie at vintage coffee cafe

We ordered a few different things because I couldn’t decide if I wanted savory or sweet.

To be honest, I should have just stuck with the tea I got, because each item we got was flavorless.

My sister ordered the french toast pancakes, which looked cute but lacked any real taste.

I ordered the breakfast burrito and the strawberry ricotta toast.

Both were terrible. The toast had barely any ricotta, and the burrito had zero seasoning. I wasn’t looking for a crazy burst of flavor or anything…I honestly would have been happy with pepper.

toast w/ strawberries + ricotta + chickpeas

I really hate doing bad reviews, and normally (thanks to Yelp and Instagram friends) I never have to write bad ones because of knowing the good spots! Unfortunately, we went here last minute as we drove by because the entrance is adorable!

After checking the Yelp reviews it looks like they might have been having an off day, as many other people liked it. But I still wouldn’t recommend it.

Clean Juice

Ah! I’m always on the hunt for great smoothie places – especially when on vacation.

About three or four days into vacation I really start to crave something densely packed with nutrition. I always eat predominately the same on vacation (healthy) but as someone who drinks a smoothie every morning, the cravings start to kick in eventually.

clean juice bowl on the beach

One day my sister and I hit up Clean Juice before we headed to the beach for the afternoon. I ordered a smoothie bowl sans bananas (I used to be sensitive to them, PTL not anymore!).

It was good and refreshing, but definitely missing flavor due to the outtake of the banana.

One thing I LOVED about this shop is that they are Christian-owned, and are not afraid to show it.

sweet prayer request spot

As you can see, they even had a spot for prayer requests! The top of the cards toted the Bible verse 1 John 5:15 which reads:

And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

Such a cute and heartwarming thing to stumble upon, despite your religious affiliation!

sweet prayer request spot

Food Spots

The Rooftop At The Vendue

I tend to stick to a pretty healthy diet, but it’s one that I love. Yet, every once in a while, I love a good plate of fries.

For dinner one night my sister and I headed to The Rooftop at the Vendue hotel. We were told it had a beautiful view, and even though it was cloudy, it was still beautiful!

pizza ft fries

We split the margarita pizza and the fries, knowing that we would probably get dessert later. If you want a full meal, then I wouldn’t advise sharing, because the flatbread is relatively small.

But if you’re only looking for a snack this is perfect! I took plenty of charcoal before having a slice of pizza, and the stomach ache later was worth it for once – ha!

the rooftop at vendue hotel

Definitely would recommend going – food is great, the view is great, people are great!

Minero

My sister and I are both creatures of habit. If we find one place we like, we tend to stick with it. I tend to try to branch out a little bit more than she does, but we both agreed this stop would happen more than once after visiting on the first night of our trip!

best tacos ever

But there was a reason we returned multiple times! The food was phenomenal. We both got the same chorizo tacos (ok I probs ate too much chorizo this trip) and guac and chips each night.

First – these chips are the best I’ve ever had. No exaggeration.

They’re baked perfectly and are the perfect thickness.

Second – the tacos. Perfect amount of flavor mixed with the perfect amount of meat.

best chips ever

If I had to recommend one place it would be Minero! It’s a must! Especially if you like Mexican food.

DESSERT

Carmella’s

Okay, I just want to start off and say, I am not telling you how many times we went here over the course of 6 days. Nope, sorry, it’s embarrassing.

This dessert/wine bar was by far our favorite late night spot in Charleston. The reason I don’t have any good pictures is due to the fact we only went at night for a sweet bite to eat, aka horrible lighting.

The picture quality might be bad, but the food quality was unreal.

We tried the oreo cake, a cannoli, and a peanut butter cake. Like I said – embarrassing.

But for girls that rarely eat sugar, this place was heaven. Seriously – God would even be impressed with this stuff.

If you go to Charleston, this is a must stop! Try any of the goodies and you’ll be more than happy with your decision.

my cute sis ft dessert dessert dessert

Picnics for days

The reason there are not too many restaurants here is because we did a lot of picnics on top of repeating places.

For our picnic, we brought along all of our favorite things!

We brought our cheese all the way from home because Sartori Cheese is our favorite and we had just bought a bunch!

We paired various cheeses with crackers, as well as adding some watermelon and jams.

As you can kind of see in the left side of the picture below, we also brought our leftover cake from Carmella’s. I must admit I ate most of it – Abby barely touched it.

fun lil beach picnic

We went to Sullivan Island for our picnics but also spent time working out here.

sleeping or yoga?

Each morning we jogged a bit, did some HIIT workouts, and even did some yoga. Working out on vacation is fun because it forces you to get creative!

beach yoga

We also took time to bike ride around Charleston. Both Abby and I are kind of bad at balancing, so let me tell you, this must have been a sight.

But here are some cute, stagged pics. This is a true testament to what Instagram see’s versus real life.

cute sisme ft bike i almost fell off of 7 times

La Fin

This trip was amazing. I would definitely recommend traveling with your best friend, and if she happens to be your sister – even better!

It was a break from reality, a break from the day-to-day, and a break from too many stresses that just float away the second you walk onto a beach.

The beach is a place of remission for me. A place that has always brought me peace, and confidence in what I am doing and who I am living for.

A place that I see God in everything. From the way, the waves crash over each other, and the way the sun sets so brilliantly each day, and never fails to return each morning.

I can’t help but see Lamentations 3:22-23 come to life as I watch the sun come up at the crack of dawn, as the colors flirt with night, and the sun kisses the moon goodnight.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.

the bridge to charleston

I hope you enjoyed this little travel guide of spots to eat! Feel free to comment, or reach out with any specific questions!